Grangemouth Rotary putting focus on eye problem

Jennifer Marjoribanks

More than 35,000 pairs of glasses have been sent from Falkirk to help people in poverty-stricken countries give people the chance of sight.

The donations are as a result of a 12-year partnership between Grangemouth Rotary Club and Specsavers’ High Street outlet.

Grangemouth Rotary member Andrew Finlayson regularly picks up the glasses, which are donated by members of the public, from the store, and sends them on to Vision Aid Overseas.

The glasses are then recycled in an environmentally-friendly way and the money is used to support the charity’s work, giving people in developing countries access to vital eye care.

Andrew first found out about Specsaver’s involvement in Vision Aid when his sister-in-law needed glasses.

He said: “The work Vision Aid Overseas does is vital because it is giving so many people the opportunity to see properly, sometimes for the first time. If a child can’t see, they can’t do their school work, and adults can’t do their jobs.

“I’ve seen some of the Vision Aid Overseas videos and you can see the delight on the faces of people when they receive their specs. It’s great that we can do something constructive with these old glasses.”

Retired engineer Andrew picks up between 75 and 100 pairs each time he visits the store.

He added: “I’m just going to keep going, I get great encouragement from the store.”

Zander McNaughton, manager at Specsavers Falkirk, said: “We will happily accept glasses from anyone -you don’t have to be a Specsavers customer to donate. This is a fantastic charity and one which Specsavers stores in the UK have supported for many years.

“We are very grateful to Mr Finlayson for all the work he puts in and will continue to work with him in this fantastic effort.”

The Vision Aid Overseas project, which began in 1985, helps millions of people in the world who suffer from poor sight and blindness because they need glasses. The charity aims to provide those in the developing world with basic eye care, through unpaid, qualified volunteers. If you would like to help, simply drop your glasses into Specsavers’ High Street shop.